Northern Ireland

For the first time ever, a scientific random sample of parents in Northern Ireland deliberated about a serious public policy issue-their children’s educational future. The occasion was a Deliberative Poll, held in Omagh on 27 January 2007. The random sample brought together Protestants and Catholics of all shades of opinion, who then deliberated in small-group discussions and plenary sessions with panels of experts representing different policy perspectives. This was the first Deliberative Poll in a deeply divided society.